316 Letter to the President. [Feb. 24, 



South Kensington, and to request you to have the kindness to announce 

 the holding of the Exhibition at the next meeting of the Royal Society, 

 and to ask any Members who may be willing to contribute to furnish, at 

 their earliest convenience, a description of the objects they propose to 

 lend, on forms similar to the enclosed, which can be obtained on appli- 

 cation to this Office. 



I have the honour to be, 

 Sir, 

 Tour obedient Servant, 



P. CUNLIFFE OWEX, 



The President Director S. K. M. 



of the Royal Society, 



Burlington House, W. 



February 24, 1876. 

 Dr. J. D ALTON HOOKER, C.B., President, in the Chair. 



The Presents received were laid on the table, arid thanks ordered for 

 them. 



The following letter was read from the Chair : — 



" 13 Stratton Street, 



31st January, 1876. 

 " My dear Hooker, — I wish to place at the disposal of the Royal 

 Society (as the one body in which all branches of British Science are 

 represented) the sum of .£6000, to be applied (principal as well as 

 interest) in any manner that they may consider, for the time being, most 

 conducive to the encouragement, among our countrymen, of original 

 research in the Physical Sciences — my object being not, on the one hand, 

 to found a permanent endowment for the benefit of future generations, 

 nor, on the other hand, to relieve the Government of any part of its 

 obligation to the present j but to ascertain, as far as may be, by practical 

 experiment on a limited scale, to what extent the progress of original 

 research in the Physical Sciences is, in the actual position of those 

 Sciences, retarded in this country by the want of public support to those 

 engaged in it, and in what form an increased measure of such support 

 would be most likely to promote its development. 



" If you think that the Royal Society would be willing to carry out my 

 wishes as thus indicated, you will oblige me by laying this proposal 

 before your Council. 



" I remain, 



" Tours sincerely, 



"T.J. Phillips Jodrell." 



